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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. key — for a lock
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. tube — the underground
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cold — an illness
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cold — not warm
  10. tube — a container
  11. track — to keep track
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. key — in music
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. track — a path
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. firm — steady
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com